guest: we have had some deficit reduction. as the president laid out a couple days ago, we have had over $2 trillion. we had 1.5 trillion that came from previous actions. and then we added just a few days ago some further deficit reductions through some increased taxes on the very wealthy of this country. so we have already begun to undertake a deficit-reduction. to use that as a reason to use the debt ceiling as a weapon is really playing with fire. they say pay some bills and not pay others. we have never tried that before. host: is it feasible? guest: i don't think so. which bills? social security? veterans? people out fighting for this country? which bills you pay? we never tried that. i think the president put it so well. this is not a dead beat nation, really. i think common sense is likely to prevail within the republican ranks. i know firsthand, second-hand, but much of the leadership within the house republican caucus, some of them realize the potential consequences. host: if president obama won on the fiscal cliff de